The Thomas Marzen Memorial Scholarship is established primarily to provide up to $1,000 per year to help young Hoosier leaders with proven backgrounds of pro-life involvement in pursuing college studies.

HOW TO APPLY

Requirements:

Applicants must be Indiana residents who will be attending full-time college courses in the fall of the year in which application is being made.

Application process:

Applicants should submit the following no later than May 1st:

1. A brief description of pro-life activities/involvement.
2. An essay of 500 words or less on why the life issue is important to you.
3. Three personal references.
4. University or college that you will be attending, as well as major.

Mr. Marzen, who passed away in 2007, was referred to as a “walking encyclopedia of the pro-life movement” by his colleagues and devoted his life to the pro-life movement. He was active for over three decades as a pro-life attorney and authored many appellate briefs in major cases and law review articles on pro-life issues, one of which was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as general counsel for Americans United for Life in Chicago and the National Legal Center for the Medically Dependent and Disabled in Indianapolis.

DONATE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Contributions to the Thomas Marzen Memorial Scholarship are tax-deductible. To make a contribution to the Thomas Marzen Memorial Scholarship fund:

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Right to Life held a press conference today to disclose that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued a fine of $11,250 against the Indianapolis medical waste company MedAssure after concluding in its investigation that MedAssure “accepted medical waste which it was not permitted to accept during a time period between September 2012 and January 2016.” The IDEM investigation states MedAssure accepted between three and six 31-gallon containers of medical waste per week from Pathology Services, Inc.” and that during the investigation, it was discovered that some of the containers “contained fetal remains.”

“We are horrified by the findings of this investigation,” states Indiana President and CEO Mike Fichter. “Unfortunately, there are four other medical waste companies in Indiana that, unlike MedAssure, have no restrictions on disposing of aborted babies. We fear Indiana’s current law allowing aborted babies to be treated as medical waste is making Indiana a magnet for fetal disposal.”

Indiana Right to Life is calling on the Indiana Senate to take swift action in passing House Bill 1337 which requires humane disposal of aborted babies by cremation or burial. The bill, which has already passed the Indiana House, will be heard tomorrow before a Senate committee.

MedAssure’s role in the disposal of aborted babies came to light in a late 2015 report produced by the Missouri Attorney General’s office following an investigation of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (PPSLR). The Missouri investigation was prompted by the Center for Medical Progress videos showing Planned Parenthood’s role in aborted baby body parts trafficking. The Missouri AG’s report, which states, “our investigation traced the fetal organs and tissue removed during surgical abortions performed by PPSLR from the surgery, to the pathological examination, to their ultimate destruction”, includes an invoice copy and a medical waste tracking document from MedAssure in Indianapolis.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.
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In November 2015, Governor Mike Pence announced that Indiana would move forward with a statewide $3.5 million expansion of a national program called Real Alternatives designed to help abortion-vulnerable women to choose life. Here in an exclusive interview, Governor Pence shares why he believes this program is so vital to the future of Indiana.

Q: Recently you announced a $3.5 million expansion of the Real Alternatives program in Indiana. Tell us about the Real Alternatives program and what services will be offered.

Gov. Pence: Real Alternatives provides financial support and other resources to existing pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, maternity homes, and social service agencies. These organizations provide a wide variety of core services for Hoosiers such as information, education, and counseling that promote childbirth rather than abortion. They also assist pregnant women in their decisions regarding adoption or parenting and provide support services such as baby food, maternity clothes, baby clothes, and referrals for other services that clients may need (such as housing, employment, etc.).

Q: Prior to announcing the expansion, Indiana piloted the Real Alternatives program in the northern part of the state beginning in 2014. What were the results of the pilot program in terms of the number of women served and the number of centers participating?

Gov. Pence: When we launched the one-year Real Alternatives pilot program in northern Indiana, we estimated that 3,000 clients would be served. However, at the close of the pilot program, 8,737 clients had been served through 17,445 visits at 16 different service sites.

Q: Why is Real Alternatives important to the greater well-being of Indiana?

Gov. Pence: Real Alternatives provides positive, life-affirming services for Hoosier women and families. It is important to not only ensure that pregnant women receive proper prenatal care, but also the emotional and physical support they need for a healthy pregnancy. Real Alternatives helps ensure that women in need are connected with all the community and social services resources available to them to support them both during and after their pregnancy.

Q: Is the Real Alternatives expansion program statewide or limited to certain areas?

Gov. Pence: Qualified service providers statewide may now apply to participate in this successful program.

Q: The Real Alternatives program in other states has operated with the highest standards of stewardship and accountability. Was this a key factor in expanding the program in Indiana?

Gov. Pence: Absolutely. We know that Real Alternatives has long had a good reputation in Pennsylvania for the quality services they provide and the fiscal accountability within which they operate. As Indiana considered this program, we wanted to ensure that taxpayer dollars were being spent in a wise and responsible manner.

Q:. How much do women have to pay for services offered through the Real Alternatives program?
Gov. Pence: Any organization that participates in the Real Alternatives program must be non-profit and may not charge for any services rendered. This allows all Hoosiers to access services free of charge.

Q: Critics of the program have attacked it because Real Alternatives does not advocate or counsel for abortion in any way. How do you respond to those critics?

Gov. Pence: Indiana law states that “childbirth is preferred, encouraged, and supported over abortion” (IC 16-34-1-1). The services provided by Real Alternatives are perfectly in line not only with Indiana statute, but also with Hoosier values. And I believe that the program’s pro-life worldview is a benefit to the services it provides.

Q: What is your heart’s desire for the long term impact on Real Alternatives in Indiana?

Gov. Pence: My hope is that more women who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy would be able to receive the education, assistance, and support that Real Alternatives provides in order to ensure a health pregnancy, and that through these services, we would be able to better support Hoosier families across the state.

Q:. What encouragement would you give to the pro-life pregnancy resource center staff and volunteers throughout Indiana who have labored for years to provide loving support for women facing unplanned pregnancies?

Gov. Pence: I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all the men and women who volunteer their time, their treasure, and their talent to support women who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Because of their selfless dedication, life is winning in Indiana. I would encourage each of them to continue to fight the good fight, to come alongside their friends and neighbors in need, to promote compassion over convenience, and to offer hope over despair. Together, we can continue to promote a culture of life in Indiana.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Right to Life is renewing its call for changes in Indiana’s fetal disposal laws in the wake of an investigative report by Indianapolis news station RTV-6 questioning whether an Indianapolis medical waste company, MedAssure, may have accepted aborted babies’ bodies for disposal in violation of its solid waste facility permit. The report also states that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is expected to release details of an investigation today.

According to RTV-6, MedAssure’s potential role in the disposal of aborted babies came to light in a late 2015 report produced by the Missouri Attorney General’s office following an investigation of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (PPSLR). The Missouri investigation was prompted by the Center for Medical Progress videos showing Planned Parenthood’s role in aborted baby body parts trafficking. The Missouri AG’s report, which states, “our investigation traced the fetal organs and tissue removed during surgical abortions performed by PPSLR from the surgery, to the pathological examination, to their ultimate destruction”, includes an invoice copy and a medical waste tracking document from MedAssure in Indianapolis.

“This new investigative report is a troubling reminder that Indiana law currently permits aborted baby parts to be lumped in with and discarded as medical waste,” states Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter. “If a permit violation has occurred, there needs to be disciplinary action. But we don’t believe aborted babies should be treated as medical waste, period. The Indiana legislature needs to step in now and ensure that aborted children are disposed of in a dignified and humane manner.”

“We’re horrified by the Missouri report’s allegations that containers of aborted babies are coming into Indiana from out of state for disposal,” said Indiana Right to Life’s Vice-President of Policy Enforcement, Cathie Humbarger. “Every child’s life is precious and deserving of dignity, even if the child’s existence is shortened by the barbaric practice of abortion. Disposing of these children’s bodies as medical waste is stripping these children of any final dignity.”

Indiana Right to Life is backing new legislation in Indiana that would require humane final disposition of aborted babies in Indiana and restrict the trafficking of aborted babies into and out of Indiana. House Bill 1337 recently passed the Indiana House by a wide margin and will now go the Senate for consideration.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.
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